2008 Oakland Raiders Draft Questions

Another year, another high pick for the Oakland Raiders in the upcoming NFL Draft. As a Raider fan, the only positive about being horrendous the year before is that the draft becomes much more entertaining. Hey, I have to look at bright side at some point!

For the 4^th time in the last 5 years, the Raiders hold a top-5 pick, which speaks to the futility of the organization. Here's who they have drafted the 3 previous times and how they have performed:

2004 - #2 overall, Robert Gallery, OT, Iowa
Largely a bust his first 3 years, he found new life under Offensive Line Coach Tom Cable last season. Still, he has not performed up to the Pro Bowl-level that was projected of him.

2006 - #7 overall, Michael Huff, DB, Texas
A pretty solid pick at the time, but with only 1 interception in 2 seasons, he has not established himself as a shut-down defensive back. The Raiders signed Gibril Wilson in the offseason partly because Huff has not played as well as they hoped.

2007 - #1 overall, JaMarcus Russell, QB, LSU
He appeared in 4 out of the last 5 games, and compiled a meager 55.4 quarterback rating. Going into an offseason where he knows he will be the starter, he should make significant progress.

For this year's draft, they will pick in the #4 spot. While they have many needs at many positions, the main focus will be on upgrading the defensive line, offensive line, and wide receiver. The following list of players may be available by the time they pick:

Glenn Dorsey, DT, LSU
Chris Long, DE, Virginia
Sedrick Ellis, DT, USC
Matt Ryan, QB, Boston College
Darren McFadden, RB, Arkansas
Jake Long, T, Michigan

Since they drafted Russell last season, they will not need to look at Matt Ryan. Therefore, the other 5 players remain distinct possibilities. With those options in mind, 3 important questions will need to be addressed by the time the clock reaches the #4 pick.

1. Do the Raiders worry about fixing their porous defensive line with their first pick?

The great news for the Raiders is that they have plenty of options for their defensive line with such a high pick. Dorsey, Long, and Ellis have all been ranked very highly going into the draft. Each would make a great player to start the reconstruction.

The rush defense last year ranked second-to-last at 145.9 YPG. In a word - pathetic. With the retirement of Warren Sapp, they have an even bigger hole to fill. Drafting one of those 3 players will start the process of revamping the defensive line. With Tommy Kelly signed to an astronomical deal and Derrick Burgess the only consistent threat for sacks, they could really use a dominant player up front.

2. Do the Raiders stick with finding more offensive line help?

The one bright spot for the Raiders last season was their improved offensive line play. Granted, they could not have possibly gotten any worse after the Art Shell debacle of 2006. Robert Gallery started playing much better, and Justin Fargas was rewarded with a 1,009 yard season.

Still, improvements can be made. The Cleveland Browns drafted Joe Thomas last year to anchor their line, and they made huge strides and nearly landed a playoff berth. If the Raiders go for Jake Long, they could plug him in an already improving line and expect Fargas and Dominic Rhodes to have even bigger seasons.

3. Do the Raiders go for the home run player in Darren McFadden?

McFadden was college football's most electric player last season. Remember his game at LSU last season? 206 yards rushing, 3 touchdowns, and another touchdown passing. Simply brilliant. His stock was already high, but it flew through the roof after that game.

The Raiders would have a hard time passing up such an exciting player. One of the 3 defensive players previously talked about would most likely be available when they pick, and if McFadden is still on the board, the decision becomes that much more difficult. Knowing Al Davis' love for speed and playmakers, I can't imagine he would pass this opportunity up. While they already have 2 solid running backs, adding a player like McFadden would instantly make their offense more diverse.